“Malsano Nomata Amo”- the new web series in Esperanto is only in Pre-Production and already got so much interest from all over the world- which is why we decided to publish this exclusive interview with writer & director Natalie MacMahon!

I had the idea for “Malsano Nomata Amo” not too long ago, when people asked me if I would do another film project in Esperanto. I made the Esperanto sci-fi drama “A Universal Love Story” (“Universala Amrakonto”) two years ago and ever since its premiere last year in the summer there has been a lot of positive feedback, so I was trying to think of a way to share more with people who don’t normally have the chance to go to all of these film festivals, where my films are playing. That’s why I thought making a web series would be a perfect way to do both: making the content available to everyone and still participate in festivals. The main idea of the web series is loosely based on “A Universal Love Story”- at least the theme of love and Esperanto as a language that represents emotions and openness towards each other is part of it as well.

Why should I watch “Malsano Nomata Amo”?
You should watch it, if you like “what-if scenarios” like me. What if in a future version of our society love was considered a dangerous disease and therefore forbidden? What if Esperanto became a forbidden language because it represents everything
that love stands for? What would you do? Would you follow the rules or would you rebel against it?

What type of feedback have you received so far?
Even though we are only in pre-production, many people have contacted me and expressed their interest in the web series, which is why I created the Patreon campaign, so people get to be part of the process right from the beginning and get a chance to learn more about the background and production process.

What exactly are people going to see on Patreon?
Patreons will be able to get insights into the script, they will be part of the casting process and get to know the actors better, they can be part of the location scouting, rehearsing when the actors learn their Esperanto parts, they can ask questions at all times and of course our Patreons will get exclusive updates during and after the shoot and will even get to see the first pictures of the shoot.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about the web series?

Should love be considered to be disease?

Can you tell us more about the story?
“Malsano Nomata Amo” tells the story of a society where love is considered a disease and therefore forbidden. Esperanto is the language people use to express their feelings and English more of a business language. To suppress any kind of emotions people may have, Esperanto also becomes a forbidden language, which people only use secretly. But as security guards are constantly watching them and listening to everything they say, people risk being punished when using this secret language. Eventually people find their own ways to do what they are not supposed to do. So there is a secret underground parallel world in this society, where people communicate in Esperanto with each other and get to experience different kinds of emotions- always knowing that they can be caught at any time.

When is the web series going to be online?
Next year in 2019. The exact date will be announced towards the end of this year.

“The Funeral Dancer” tells the story of “Jazz”, who works as a funeral entertainer which has become one of the best paid jobs in a world, where funerals are a status symbol and at the same time an obligation to entertain relatives, friends and work colleagues alike. Expectations are high, morals are low. While Jazz tries to entertain the mourners, she is forced to face severe problems of her own.language: German, available with English, Spanish, Italian and French subtitles

This is not a love story, but it is a story about love. It is an anti-love story, about a society, where love has become a crime and Esperanto a forbidden language, only used by those who don’t follow the rules despite all consequences.

Follow us on Facebook to be part of the process from the very beginning:

Natalie will be attending Cannes to pitch the script of her feature film “Hot Scary Summer” and to promote her new film festival for female filmmakers called the “The Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin” (FFFB). Natalie MacMahon attended Film Acting School in Berlin. She went on to write her first script for the short film “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry”, which has been screened at numerous international film festivals. She followed this with her film noir style short films “Like A Summer Sonata” and “Lola wants to see the sea”, which were equally successful.
In 2017, Natalie released “It’s getting darker every day”, a dark sci-fi drama set in the future, as well as her melancholic Esperanto short “A Universal Love Story”. The young director just finished her sci-fi genre mix “The Redhead” and has started working on her first feature film script. Alongside her work as a screenwriter and director, Natalie continues to work as an experienced actress, presenter and translator.